Fuel Petcock goes bad?

MOmilkman

Member
Can a petcock just go bad? I turn it on and off every time I use the tractor (48 8N) and after cleaning out the sediment bowl, I turned it back on and nothing came thru.
So I drained the tank, took the petcock off, and blew out every orfice of it, put it back on, filled the tank and still nothing coming through.
Anyone experience this?
 
(quoted from post at 13:58:26 11/17/18) Can a petcock just go bad? I turn it on and off every time I use the tractor (48 8N) and after cleaning out the sediment bowl, I turned it back on and nothing came thru.
So I drained the tank, took the petcock off, and blew out every orfice of it, put it back on, filled the tank and still nothing coming through.
Anyone experience this?

Did you attempt to start the tractor?
 
(quoted from post at 14:58:26 11/17/18) Can a petcock just go bad? I turn it on and off every time I use the tractor (48 8N) and after cleaning out the sediment bowl, I turned it back on and nothing came thru.
So I drained the tank, took the petcock off, and blew out every orfice of it, put it back on, filled the tank and still nothing coming through.
Anyone experience this?

You will not see any filling of the sediment bowl until you start the tractor or open the drain in the bottom of the carb. The bowl is full and the needle is shutting off any fuel flow until the fuel level goes down.
 
.....took the petcock off ....

Was gas pouring out when you took the petcock off ? Sometimes when you close or open a valve it may become stuck in that position and the shaft just spins when trying to move it , as may be the case with your shut off valve . Do you still have the glass bowl shut off assembly ?
 
Thx Bruce, Thanks R Geiger. That makes sense. I'll put it back on tomorrow and see what happens after I drain the carb.
 
Caryc,
No I didnt. I've been having troulbe getting the tractor started lately, so i was going to start it with a shot of starting fluid but when I turned on
the gas and noticed nothing coming out I figured that was the source of my problem. So no, I never got around to actually trying to start it.
 
(quoted from post at 15:46:24 11/17/18) Caryc,
No I didnt. I've been having troulbe getting the tractor started lately, so i was going to start it with a shot of starting fluid but when I turned on
the gas and noticed nothing coming out I figured that was the source of my problem. So no, I never got around to actually trying to start it.

R. Geiger summed it up. That's exactly why I asked you if you had tried to start it. If you got it running on the gas already in the bowl or even with started fluid, you would have seen the glass bowl fill up.
 
The bowl has air trapped in it. Loosen the bowl and then turn the gas on. When gas starts leaking out. Tighten the bowl back up.
 
(quoted from post at 19:08:41 11/17/18) The bowl has air trapped in it. Loosen the bowl and then turn the gas on. When gas starts leaking out. Tighten the bowl back up.

"Loosen the bowl and then turn the gas on"

GuyTractor, NO need to do all that and attempt to slobber gasoline on top of the engine.

ASSUMING the carb is in working condition, as soon as the level of the gasoline in the float bowl drops, and the float drops and opens the carb inlet needle valve the trapped air will quickly purge through the carb, followed by the flow of gasoline the carb requires to feed the engine.
 
While reading your original post I ASSUMED you had a 1/8" npt petcock in the bottom of the carb where the drain plug is , which is standard advice on an N tractor .

Water settles to the bottom of the bowl and periodically opening a petcock would drain the water . It will also verify fuel flow . You have to wait long enough that the fuel in the bowl has had a chance to drain and then you can tell if you have a good flow or restricted flow to the carb . The fuel flow test can find a problem before you are out trying to get some work done .

If you do not want to install a petcock in the drain plug that's OK , but it would be good to remove the plug that is there before you have a problem , since some are hard to remove because of rust and rounded head corners . If I use a plug ( anywhere ) I try to use something other than steel .
 
(quoted from post at 10:30:35 11/18/18)

While reading your original post I ASSUMED you had a 1/8" npt petcock in the bottom of the carb where the drain plug is , which is standard advice on an N tractor .

a while back, u suggested i replace my severely mangled plug with a petcock. i'm glad u did. 5 bucks at o'reilly's = tool-free carb drain. thank u, sir :)
 
(quoted from post at 15:44:25 11/19/18)
(quoted from post at 10:30:35 11/18/18)

While reading your original post I ASSUMED you had a 1/8" npt petcock in the bottom of the carb where the drain plug is , which is standard advice on an N tractor .

a while back, u suggested i replace my severely mangled plug with a petcock. i'm glad u did. 5 bucks at o'reilly's = tool-free carb drain. thank u, sir :)

Just passing along what someone here passed to me . With what I have learned here over the past 15? years I can enjoy my N :wink:
 

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